Dearest Boy: Month Six

Dear Jensen,

This month you grew a mustache. 

Look at you - you were just as surprised as we were that it happened! 

Okay, so you didn't really grow any facial hair, but you changed in so many other ways and are really starting to look less and less like my tiny baby.  Sniff.

There is an extra chubbiness to your cheeks that I can't help kissing.  You know, mama's don't have very much time to snuggle babies because at some point, you realize what we're doing and start pushing us away. Your sisters both give me the "ew, yuck!" and try to wipe off my kisses (mostly Ilsa) if they are unexpected. I guess I have to start giving them advanced warning, so they can run away from me.  Good thing you can't do anything more than roll - and not very fast, at that!

You have discovered how fun your tongue is and started sticking it out for a good portion of the day.  I appreciate anything that will entertain you while you are awake and luckily, your tongue can't fall out of your mouth so that I have to pick it up every 30 seconds like your other toys.  Your motor skills are getting better and better, but holding onto toys isn't one of your strong suits.

Late this month we figured out the reason you were sticking out your tongue and biting everything that came within inches of your mouth - two teeth!

I wouldn't even say you were especially fussy while those two little guys worked their way out, but you were not your normal, smiley self either.  With you, I decided to try some natural teething pills, which seemed to work, and I'm glad we have numerous frozen teethers to keep your gums chilled, because the biting thing was getting painful for all of us.  You even bit your own fingers and toes pretty hard a few times and realized that the little white nubs in your mouth were actually hard, sharp weapons!
 

We are finding new things that amuse you as you get older - the most recent is being upside down.  You like being dangled from your feet and Daddy is really good at that one.  Instead of sitting up in my lap, you like it when I turn you around and let your head hang over my knees.  You will lay like that for what seems like a long time and then figure out how to either flip over or grunt until I help you to sit up.  Of course, there is a lot of tickling done by me while you are laying in my lap and no particular spot that doesn't make you laugh - mostly your armpits and the bottoms of your feet.  Such sweet, soft, chubby feet!

Aunty Tresha gave us some clothes from cousin Peyton to pass along to you and these awesome alien pajamas were in the mix.  There is something about the transition from footies and one-piece pajamas to a shirt and pant set that makes time seem to fly.  Suddenly you are sitting on your own, looking more and more like a little boy instead of a wriggling, cooing newborn baby.  Not that you sit up for long or stay in one place for me to really reminisce on any of it, but boy is time passing quickly.

We went back to solid foods with you with more success this time around.  I stuck to my guns and made purees for you myself and you kindly ate everything I gave you.  The one snag seems to be mashed avocados, but I have given you far worse tasting (according to me) fruits and veggies and you have liked every single one.  Carrots, squash, plums, apples, sweet potatoes, bananas, peas, green beans, black beans, apricots, nectarines, peaches, blueberries, I'm sure I'm forgetting a few but you ate them all anyway.

You also still love to hold your own spoon, but aren't worried about it having food on it as long as the spoon one of us is holding is still feeding you.  I'm sure, like everything else you put in your mouth, it is just a new texture to try out and feels pretty good on those incoming teeth but it also helps to have your hands busy instead of swinging and smacking the food off the "real" spoon.

Jensen, here you are, half a year old and well on your way to being a very busy little boy.  It is an absolute pleasure to be on this journey with you and I am so very thankful to have a front row seat to see the joy that you bring to others!

Love,

Your Mama